And the denseness award goes to
by Torchix
Summary: This is a little idea I came up with. On a journey through a new region Ash ends up confessing feelings he doesn't even know he has. Advanceshipping.


**And the denseness award goes to...  
**

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Guys, will you please stop arguing?" Said a squinty-eyed, tan man. He peeped up from over his map and looked at the two arguing trainers.

First was a raven haired boy in a black jacket with a red V on it, he had a Pikachu on his shoulder and was currently glaring at the girl next to him. She had very long brunette hair in a very long and messy ponytail wearing a red turtleneck sweater and black framed glasses, a Chimchar adorned her head.

"Do you two even know _what_ you're arguing about anymore?" the first man asked. The Pikachu trainer shrugged.

"Not really." He said. The girl face-palmed.

"This is my point _exactly_, Ash, your skull is so dense that you can't remember more than five seconds ago!" she said with an exasperated sigh. Ash glared at her again.

"I can remember more than five seconds ago! How else would I remember all my other adventures?" He said. "Huh? You didn't think that insult through, did ya Gemma?"

"OK then, name me _two_ people you met in the past week." Gemma said with folded arms. Ash seemed to think for a moment before opening his mouth before shutting it straight after, he did this several times before Gemma commented again. "Exactly."  
"I remember _important_ things!" Ash retorted. The first man sighed.

"You're doing it again, guys." He said. "You've been arguing _all morning_, you really do need to sort out your differences so I don't end up murdering you both out of sheer annoyance."

"Sorry Brock." Both said at once. Brock chuckled and looked back at the map.

"I think a camping break is due, don't you?" he said after a moment, looking up at the darkening sky.

"I think so; it's gettin' real dark out here." Gemma said. Ash nodded slowly, slightly reluctant to agree with the girl on anything. Chimchar started to jump between his trainer's and Ash's head, dampening his mood even more.

A little while later the camp was set up and Brock was cooking his famous stew as Ash stared over his shoulder. Gemma sat down across from them playing with her young Chimchar.

"Ash, I would finish much quicker without you drooling over my shoulder." Brock said after a while, Ash back off only to come back a few minutes later, at which the breeder sighed. He managed to finish, though, and was soon dishing out bowls of the stew to his travelling companions. They all sat down and started to eat it.

"You know, this group feels so _small_ after that one." Ash said after a moment of silence. Pikachu nodded, sneakily lapping up some of his trainer's stew before eating his Poké food again.

"Pika." He said, chewing on one of the pellets. Gemma raised an eyebrow.

"Why? I thought it was just you, Dawn and Brock before you came here?" She asked. Ash shook his head.

"Don't you remember me talking about May?" Gemma seemed to think before suddenly remembering.

"Oh right! The co-ordinator?" Brock nodded.

"That's right. She travelled with Ash and I along with her little brother, Max." He said. "So this group is pretty small compared to the last one, even if it is technically only minus one person."

"She was a good friend to travel with." Ash pondered aloud. Gemma pouted.

"Aren't I a good friend?" Gemma asked. Ash nodded.

"Of course you are, but with May there was just something that clicked, ya know? She always managed to keep me calm or cheer me up; she was a gifted co-ordinator once she got over her fear of Pokémon too." He replied. Gemma smirked when she saw him start to blush lightly, she was pretty sure even he didn't know he was blushing.

"What about Max?" She asked after a moment of observing his reaction to his own statement. Brock chuckled.

"He was a regular little Pokémon obsessed eight year old. He was very smart and insistent on learning how to take care of Pokémon properly. He was a bit like my apprentice." Brock said. "He always wanted to become a gym leader like his dad."

"Oh god, Andy is like that. He may only be two but he is insistent he takes dad's position over." Gemma giggled. "He's a regular little cutie."

"I can't wait to battle your father at Grove Town." Ash said. "He sounds like an interesting person to face."

"Yup! He is, despite his over-protectiveness he is."  
"I can't believe he waited until you were fourteen to let you on your journey." Brock said. "I didn't start for a long time, but I had a reason."

"Oh that just dad." Gemma shrugged. She noticed how quickly Ash had moved the subject to battles instead of back to Max and May, and knew she just had to get more from him later.

_**Later that night**_**...**

Gemma had awoken to the sound of someone moving around the camp. She yawned, sitting up in her sleeping bag and looking around. Her unfocused eyes struggled to see who was up, but the black hair soon gave it away. Gemma clambered out of the bag and sat next to the trainer, he looked at her.

"Hey, did I wake you?" He asked. Gemma shook her head.

"Nah." She lied. "I just couldn't get to sleep, you?"

"I couldn't sleep either, talking about May seems to have made me uneasy." Ash said with a very slight hint of embarrassment in his tone. Gemma looked at him with confused eyes.

"Why?"

"I dunno." Ash shrugged. "I guess I miss her a lot." Gemma giggled. "What?"  
"You _luv _her!" She teased. Ash looked her strangely.

"Of course I do, she's my best friend." He said. Gemma groaned and face palmed.

"This is what I meant when I said you were dense, Ash!" She said. "I mean love-love, you know, I-wanna-snog-you-and-give-you-babies kinda love." Ash blushed deeply.

"Oh... _that_ type of love. I don't love her like _that_; she's my best friend, nothing more and nothing less." He said. But inside he didn't actually know if he were lying or telling the truth.

"How do you feel around her?" Gemma asked.

"I feel happy, kinda like I just have to be happy, she has that effect." Ash replied.

"How do you feel when she is sad?"

"What's with the twenty questions?" Ash asked. Gemma shrugged.

"Just curious." She said innocently.

"When she's sad... I feel sad too. She lost her first contest and I blamed myself when she lost to Drew... but the next time we saw him she was being all natural around him again."

"How do you feel when she is with him?"

"Upset, that she could trust someone who has insulted her so many times, she has gone to him for help or comfort before instead of me... I felt kind of jealous on that bit." Ash said, he was getting embarrassed by this now.

"How do you feel now she is in a different region?"

"I've learnt to deal with it. She's been gone a couple of years now, and I have no idea what region she is in... I haven't even seen her since the Wallace cup back in Sinnoh last year."

"How do you feel about that?"  
"Worried and kinda sad that she hasn't thought to contact me. I've called her, but the phone was always engaged or off, and sometimes Drew answered it and said she was busy. I kinda wish she would contact me, I miss her."

"How did you feel when she left for Johto?"

"Sad, hurt..." Ash started, Gemma looked at him.

"Why hurt?" She asked the teen. Ash sighed.

"That she would choose a jerk like Drew over her friends."

"Why do you think she did that?"

"Because I offered to take her to Sinnoh with me, and she said that she needed a change." Ash said, he looked away now. His voice seemed rougher. "What is that supposed to mean? We were best friends!"

"Ash, everyone needs space... anyway, how much did you like her?" Gemma said.

"A lot. She was my best friend, but don't get the wrong ideas, Gemma." Ash said. "I'm goin' ta bed."

He stood and walked over to his bag. Gemma chuckled.

"And the Denseness award goes to..." she said, Ash looked to her.

"Huh? Did you say something?" he asked. Gemma smiled and shook her head no. Ash dismissed it and lay down in his sleeping bag, falling asleep soon after.

_Looks like he needs a bit of coaxing to come out of his dense brain focused on battles, Pokémon and food and learn about love, cos' he is _definitely_ in love with her, and I get the feeling she likes him too. I remember before I started to date my BF, I needed space to figure out my feelings too... they sound so cute together._ Gemma thought. She clambered back to her sleeping bag, catching a glimpse of something shiny in Ash's hand, taking a closer look she saw a half ribbon with a golden centre and a pink and white bow, she smiled. _You just proved me right, Ashy-boy._ She giggled silently.

***

**Me: How was that? I was supposed to be asleep when I write this last night but I felt that as I am way behind with the RJC chapter that is supposed to go up today I needed to get something up, and this idea just sprung into my head! I am off to Paris on tomorrow, so I can't update anything until Monday and the next weekend I'm in London! :O Well, readers, R&R!**


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